Johnny Cash, country music's venerable man in black whose 40-year career has encompassed everything from jaded jailhouse blues to road warrior rockabilly, made a surprise appearance at an all-star tribute concert held in his honor Tuesday night in New York.

It was the first time the 67-year-old Cash has been on stage since he was diagnosed in 1997 with Shy-Drager Syndrome, a degenerative nervous disorder. The tribute brought together an eclectic array of musicians (all dressed in Johnny Cash Black) such as Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris, who duetted on Cash's song "The Long Black Veil."

Other performers included Willie Nelson, Wyclef Jean, Sheryl Crow (singing "Flesh and Blood" with Emmylou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter), Kris Kristofferson (backed by Trisha Yearwood on "Sunday Morning Coming Down") and taped appearances from U2 (offering a reggae-splashed rendition of "Don't Take Your Guns To Town"), Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.

But the emotional highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Cash himself, who closed the show with "Folsom Prison Blues" (backed by his original drummer and bassist) and a rousing, all-star sing-along of "I Walk The Line."